I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 374 Ju taught three strategies
December of the second year of the Taichu era of Zhao.

December of the first year of Emperor Zhangwu of Han.

On the day of Gengwu, Zhao Pingyuan Prefect and General of the Warships Gao Fan led five warships, twenty large warships, and countless small boats, totaling five thousand soldiers, from Gaotang, into the Yellow River, and sailed into the Bohai Sea.

On the day of Ji-Mao, the fleet headed north and arrived at Leting, where they encountered a strong wind, resulting in the loss of more than ten ships.

On the day of Dingyou, we arrived at Changli and encountered a large Han fleet. We ordered our ships to fire arrows and won a great victory!
On the day of Bingwu, Gao Fan attacked Liaokou, when suddenly he saw large sailing ships sailing from the south, cutting off his retreat. More than a hundred ships then launched a simultaneous attack from Liaokou, and the Zhao army suffered a crushing defeat. They could not escape quickly enough. Five of the warships sank, and of the remaining ships, less than one-tenth survived. Gao Fan returned with almost no survivors.

On the day of Renyin, the emperor was enraged and beheaded Gao Fan...

Ju Shou's warning at the time has now become a reality.

There is absolutely no need for a proper review of the entire battle.

Liu Miao's ships are faster and stronger than Yuan Shao's!

It could easily outmaneuver Yuan Jun's ships on the sea with its speed.

The warships and large warships that once dominated rivers and lakes were completely useless in the vast ocean.

The towering height and range that the warships were so proud of were nowhere near the ships on the vast ocean.

The ramming horn of the warship, capable of smashing any vessel, couldn't even keep up. At excessive speed, there was even a risk of capsizing.

The difference in ships between Zhao and Han was far greater than the difference in cavalry between the two!

It was only at this point that Yuan and Zhao's officials finally understood that not all ships are ships...

"Five thousand soldiers."

Of the five thousand soldiers, only two or three hundred escaped back to shore.

This terrifying casualty ratio surpasses that of all land battles! It even surpasses that of most annihilation battles!
Even Hebei cannot afford to lose so many young and able-bodied men!
Hebei, which Yuan Shao had finally managed to pacify, was once again becoming restless.

although.

Yuan Shao once again promoted the war, claiming that this battle could not be considered a defeat, but rather another great and glorious victory! However, the complete annihilation of five thousand able-bodied men still cast a shadow over Hebei.

"Gongze, go and invite Ju Shou here."

Only then did Yuan Shao finally remember Ju Shou, who had advised him against engaging in a naval battle with Liu Miao.

Upon seeing Ju Shou, Yuan Shao suddenly burst into tears!

"I regret not heeding your advice!"

As he spoke, Yuan Shao drew his sword from his waist and handed it to Ju Shou, asking Ju Shou to stab him with his sword!
How could Ju Shou bring himself to do it? He immediately burst into tears, dropped his sword, and knelt before Yuan Shao to admit his mistake.

"If you cannot persuade the emperor to heed your advice, it is clearly the fault of the subject! How can you blame the monarch?"

Ju Shou presented his sword with both hands: "Your Majesty, we have only encountered a slight setback. Why must you be so upset?"

Yuan Shao burst into tears again: "I am not crying for myself, but for those five thousand soldiers!"

Upon hearing this, Ju Shou immediately felt the same way, and tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.

"The king himself set out, fearing the blue rhinoceros."

"The bright moon shines through the night, but time cannot be wasted."

"The path is covered with orchids, and the road is gradually winding."

"The Yangtze River flows deep and clear, with maple trees above it."

"My gaze stretches a thousand miles, yet my heart aches with sorrow for spring."

"O soul, return! Alas, Jiangnan!"

Ju Shou sang Qu Yuan's "Summoning the Soul," completely sobbing uncontrollably!

"Your Majesty is so considerate of your soldiers! Even if they die in battle, you would probably be happy, wouldn't you?"

"Your Majesty should not grieve too much right now! The most urgent task is to pacify Liaodong as soon as possible to stabilize the northern border!"

Yuan Shao's weeping subsided at just the right moment: "How should we pacify Liaodong?"

Ju Shou, staggering, wiped away his tears and said, "I have three strategies that can help Your Majesty!"

"Please tell me everything! This time, even if it requires me to personally lead the troops to Liaodong, I will not refuse!"

"Your Majesty is the foundation of the nation; how can you so easily move your position?"

Ju Shou took out the memorial he had already written from his bosom.

"These three strategies are presented for Your Majesty's consideration!"

"There are three strategies in total, one of which is called the strategy of sowing discord." "Liu Bei is residing in Liaodong and has a very close personal relationship with Liu Miao! Now, Liu Bei has been further granted the title of King of Yan of the pseudo-Han Dynasty, so it can be said that their honor is shared by both of them!"

"However, Liaodong was also part of the ancient Yan Kingdom's territory. How could Gongsun Du possibly accept Liu Miao's bestowal of the title of King of Yan upon Liu Bei?"

"It wouldn't have mattered before. But now that Liu Bei has won a great victory over our army and accumulated prestige, a shrewd and ambitious man like Gongsun Du will definitely be wary of him!"

"Your Majesty can spread rumors in Liaodong that Liu Bei has a plan to usurp power and wants to secretly eliminate Gongsun Du to become the ruler of Liaodong, thus echoing Liu Miao!"

At this moment, the tears on Yuan Shao's face had completely disappeared, replaced by eyes full of excitement—

good!
"The second strategy is called 'driving the tiger to devour the wolf.'"

“Gongsun Du once launched an eastern expedition against Goguryeo and a western attack against Wuhuan. Both rulers were at odds with Gongsun Du.”

"In particular, Gongsun Du married his daughter to the King of Buyeo, Weichoutai, in order to bring Buyeo into an alliance. Buyeo is also at odds with Goguryeo and Wuhuan. Your Majesty can formally confer titles upon the King of Goguryeo and the Chanyu of Wuhuan, and invite them to jointly attack Liaodong, while promising to give Liaodong to their tribe in the future."

Seeing that Yuan Shao seemed hesitant, Ju Shou quickly said—

"The fundamental purpose of this strategy is not to seize Liaodong."

"The Wuhuan were barbarians."

"With the country having just suffered a defeat, they are very likely to use this as an excuse to harass the border and test Your Majesty."

"By promising Liaodong to them now, we can be seen as diverting trouble eastward, which will keep the Wuhuan at ease and bring stability to the north!"

"Moreover, the Wuhuan soldiers are brave and skilled in battle. Your Majesty could send a general to Youzhou to oversee the situation and urge these Wuhuan soldiers to enter Liaodong to fight!"

Ju Shou's strategy was not based on the principle of seizing Liaodong as quickly as possible.

Ju Shou's strategy was to show Yuan Shao how to avoid being bloodied in Liaodong at the lowest possible cost, while also giving the world an explanation.

By instigating the Wuhuan and Goguryeo forces to fight, Yuan Zhao could undoubtedly minimize the depletion of his war potential, thus allowing him to focus on dealing with the threat posed by Liu Miao in the south.

"The third strategy is to use their own methods against them."

Ju Shou pointed out the fundamental problem that could solve the matter.

"Liu Miao's investiture of Liu Bei as the King of Yan clearly shows his desire for chaos in the north!"

"In that case, Your Majesty may also ensure that the South is never at peace!"

Yuan Shao frowned: "Is it Shi Xie from Jiaozhou?"

"No, Jiaozhou is far from the Central Plains after all. Liu Miao would not send troops south for the sake of Jiaozhou alone."

Jiaozhou was indeed a place where Liu Miao's control was extremely weak, but it was too far away from Liu Miao, and even further away from Yuan Shao, it was almost unreachable! Ju Shou obviously could not possibly set his sights on Shi Xie.

"That……"

"Lü Bu of Qingzhou, Liu Zhang of Yizhou."

However, as soon as he finished speaking, Ju Shou began to shake his head.

"Lu Bu has a close relationship with Liu Miao, and also has a grudge against His Majesty, so he is not easy to deal with."

"But Liu Zhang... although he and Liu Miao were both members of the Liu clan, the two were not close."

"Liu Zhang had already declared himself King of Shu before Liu Miao became emperor, which clearly shows that he did not genuinely pledge allegiance to Liu Miao."

"Liu Miao was also stubborn, and I heard that he even humiliated Liu Zhang's envoy because of this. Afterwards, even the golden seal of the King of Shu was not sent to Shu, which shows how deep the enmity between the two sides was!"

Ju Shou bowed to Yuan Shao and said, "This last strategy is to request Your Majesty to offer Liu Zhang generous gifts, treat him with courtesy, and even bestow upon him the title of king, so that he may submit to Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty cannot stand idly by and watch a Great Han King of Yan emerge in Liaodong; can Liu Miao also stand idly by and watch a Great Zhao King of Shu emerge in Shu?"

If you can do the first day of the month, I can do the fifteenth!
Ju Shou said, "With these three strategies, the predicament in Liaodong can be resolved!"

To create a rift between Liu Bei and Gongsun Du, so as to prevent Liaodong from becoming a laughing stock for Liu Miao in the future.

By utilizing the Wuhuan and Goguryeo forces to launch attacks on Liaodong, they preserved their own strength.

They created the same predicament for Liu Miao again, forcing him to bleed money continuously!

After all, Shu is a vast and resource-rich region. Even Liu Miao couldn't possibly conquer it in a short time, could he?

Therefore, if we can hold out until this year's autumn harvest and launch a war against Liu Miao, it will be a great victory!

After listening to Ju Shou's three strategies in detail, Yuan Shao finally sighed.

"If I had listened to your advice earlier, I would have avoided more than just the defeat at Liaokou!"

(End of this chapter)